19-03-2018, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Minister of Health of Ethiopia, H. E. Prof. Yifru Birhan, this morning officially inaugurated the 10th IGAD Health Ministerial Committee Meeting during which the IGAD HIV, TB and Malaria Strategic Plan for 2018-2025, the IGAD supporting guidelines for TB HIV services in the refugee settings were validated, and the priorities for the Regional Global Fund Grant were endorsed.
The Federal State Minister of Health of Sudan, Her Excellency Dr Firdous Abdoulrahman Yousif, and the senior Advisor of the Minister of Health of South Sudan, Dr. Luka Tombekana Monoja, were among the signatories of the Declaration of the 10th IGAD Health Ministerial Committee Meeting on Refugee and Other Cross Border Health Programmes (below attached) in the presence of the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), HE Amb (Eng) Mahboub Maalim, and the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Italy to Ethiopia and IGAD, Mr Giuseppe Sean COPPOLA.
H. E. Prof. Yifru Birhan précised that “IGAD Regional Strategic Plan for 2018–2025 was prepared with the support of the Global Fund in order to scale up and strengthen the cross-border health programs to all vulnerable groups including pastoralists and cross-border mobile population, refugees, Internally Displaced population (IDPs), returnees and the host communities in our region”.
He called on Member States to support the regional Health Programs, “particularly the intervention towards addressing the health needs of refugees, returnees, IDPs, pastoralists and cross-border mobile population”.
IGAD Executive Secretary highlighted that the focus of the meeting was on Refugees as part of a cross border programme. He called on Health Ministers to provide support to IGAD Application to the Global Fund, and also to integrate refugee health issues and others mobile population in their national health system. Amb Maalim also touched on the need to establish a Cancer Center of Excellence for the region.
Mr Coppola noted that the strategy was very “useful for development partners for guidance in the implementation of the joint initiatives in the region in this field”. As Chair of the IGAD partners Forum, he pledged to disseminate the outcomes of the meeting so that development partners consider these initiatives for their future plans in these sectors in the region”.
Download attached Declaration in PDF below
